EU Reprimands Serbia and Kosovo & more –15th Aug 2023

Dobar dan from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Serbia Update from the 15th of August twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Serbia.

On Thursday the 10th, the EU reprimanded both Kosovo and Serbia for the lack of constructive behavior toward the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue that aims to de-escalate the tensions between the two. Joseph Borrell, EU Foreign Policy chief, received a joint letter from the US and EU parliamentarians in which they demand that the EU changes its policy toward Kosovo and Serbia.

Recall that in June, the EU applied temporary measures against Kosovo because it didn’t take measures to de-escalate the conflict. Similarly, the parliamentarians demanded that the EU exert greater pressure on Serbia in order to normalize relations with Kosovo. Peter Stano, the lead spokesperson for foreign affairs, said that the bloc expects both sides to demonstrate constructive behavior, such as the approach to de-escalation of tensions and seeking compromises.

While on the topic of Kosovo-Serbia relations…

On Tuesday the 8th, The European Federation of Journalists along with several other international media organizations urged the Kosovo government to explain the denial of entrance of one Serbian journalist to Kosovo.

Svetlana Vukmirovic, who works for Serbian national broadcaster RTS, or Radio-Television Serbia, has been denied entrance to Kosovo on multiple occasions since twenty eighteen. Vukmirovic expressed her disbelief in the situation, adding that she has never done anything to deserve this ban. However, she does extensive coverings of the life of the Serb minority community in Kosovo as well as the lives of people who left Kosovo and came to Serbia during and after the Serbia-Kosovo war, which might affect how Kosovo sees her.

Additionally, the journalists' groups added that Kosovo authorities must ensure that signed agreements between Serbia and Kosovo that allow freedom of movement are respected without exception.

In the past week, Kosovo authorities have been working on revoking the license of MTS Kosovo, the Kosovan division of Serbian state-owned telecommunications company Telecom Serbia. Telecom Serbia is considered one of the largest mobile, internet, and multimedia service companies, and the majority of Serbs in Kosovo are subscribed to their services.

Earlier this month, Kosovo’s Ministry of Industry and Trade published a list of several companies that Kosovo deemed contested. On the list was MTS Kosovo because a management member of the company holds a Serbian passport. Telecom Serbia said that the decision to revoke MTS’s business license is baseless, adding that it goes against international law since Kosovo pledged to protect the interests of all Kosovo citizens. Telecom’s CEO said that by removing the networks which Kosovo Serbs use for communication, their government is worsening the Kosovo-Serbia issues and is potentially threatening public safety.

Last week, chairs of the parliamentary committees for foreign affairs of the UK, US, and eight other countries sent joint letters to the EU, US, and UK urging them to reconsider their collective approach to the Kosovo-Serbia relations. One of the signatures in the joint letter belonged to Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Ukraine’s parliament. Merezhko said that there are deputies who support the recognition of Kosovo’s independence in the Ukrainian parliament because of Kosovo's decision to join the sanctions against Russia.

Ever since, Ukrainian recognition of Kosovo has become a topic of discussion in Serbia, so much so that President Vucic went on TV to speak about it on Thursday the 10th. In the interview, Vucic was optimistic that the president of Ukraine would decide not to recognize Kosovo’s independence. He said that Serbia and Ukraine have good relations, adding that their president is very knowledgeable when it comes to Serbia.

Moving on, the fifteenth Serbia Against Violence protest was held all over Serbia on Saturday the 12th. Big crowds gathered to denounce violence and to demonstrate against the regime of President Vucic. Even though three months have passed since the first Serbia Against Violence protest, those who gathered marched to the government building and said that the protests will continue until their demands are met.

Recall that the demands of the protest are an end to the promotion of violence in the media, the resignation of government ministers involved in security, and the dismissal of the management of Serbian State TV RTS and its Supervisory Board.

In other news, on Friday the 11th, Bosnia's prosecutor's office announced that Bosnia has charged Milorad Dodik, the Serbian nationalist leader of the Republic of Srpska, with defying decisions of the international official who oversees peace in the country. In the past two months, Dodik has signed two laws that the peace envoy revoked, explaining that they go against Bosnia’s constitution. These laws suspend rulings by Bosnia's constitutional court and stop the publishing of the peace envoy's decrees and laws in the official gazette. Finally, the prosecution of Bosnia indicted him for the criminal act of failing to execute the decisions of the High Representative. Still, Dodik's office rejected the indictment, saying that Dodik did nothing but obey the explicit provisions of the constitution of the Republic of Srpska.

Next up, the organization Belgrade Pride announced that the celebration of Pride Week will take place from the 4th to the 10th of September, while the Pride Parade will take place on the 9th. They reported that the slogan for this year will be We’re Not Even Close in order to highlight the increased violence and discrimination toward the LGBTI+ community in Serbia. Additionally, the recent murder of Noa Milivojev, who was a transgender teen, shows that violence against trans women in Serbia is on the rise.

The organizers said that their slogan represents “the LGBTI+ movement’s fight for equality, dignity, and love.” Apart from that, this year’s Pride Week will include a series of cultural and educational events, such as a theater festival, exhibitions, and panel debates.

Since we mentioned Belgrade Pride…

They condemned president Vucic for declining to sing the law permitting same-sex marriage in Serbia. In an interview held on Sunday the 13th, Vucic adamantly stated that he will not sign any laws which legalize same-sex unions, as well as those that acknowledge genders other than male and female. In response, Belgrade Pride accused Vucic of dividing and discriminating against citizens based on his personal opinions. They added that the adoption of the Law on Same-Sex Unions is an international obligation for Serbia, as the government has already promised the adoption of the Law several times.

The youth percentage in Serbia is decreasing, as young people aged fifteen to twenty-nine make up around sixteen percent of the total population in Serbia. This demographic trend is a decrease of almost four percent compared to twenty eleven. The UN Population Fund stated that Serbia should improve the position of young people in the country, providing them with an environment in which they can express their views, needs, and aspirations. Currently, more than two-thirds of young people in Serbia do not feel ready and competent to engage in the work of bodies that make important decisions.

In some economic news…

Serbia’s average year-on-year inflation dropped down to 12.5 percent in July, compared to June's 14 percent. In the groups of food and non-alcoholic beverages and in the housing and energy sector, there was a twenty percent price increase— the largest hike. The prices only dropped in the transportation sector, with a year-on-year decrease of almost five percent. Motor vehicle fuels had the most significant price drop of around twelve percent.

And to close this edition, some health updates.

The Milan Jovanovic Batut Institute of Public Health reported ten confirmed cases of West Nile fever in Serbia. West Nile fever is caused by the West Nile virus, most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. While there are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat the virus, most people infected with it develop only fever and a few other mild symptoms. Still, in order to reduce the risk of the virus spreading, doctors recommended using repellents and wearing long-sleeved shirts and trousers.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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Do daljnjeg, zbogom!